Chương 18: Chapter 16 — Take Care of Her

Bea's eyes locked onto Chelsea's.

"When you chose to become Adriane's sister, you chose this. You chose torment." Chelsea's breathing hitched.

"Showing pain in front of Adriane," Bea continued quietly, "will only earn you more of it." She pulled one hand away, preparing another spell.

"Do yourself a favor," she added, almost gently.

"Either die now… or accept pain as your life." She muttered something under her breath, and the pain in Chelsea's wrist and hand vanished just like that. Chelsea looked up at Dewey, searching his face for some sign that he disagreed with Bea, some indication that this wasn't normal. He didn't offer it. What had she signed up for? No… she couldn't think that way. Staying meant death. They would have killed her. … Would they have? The thought slipped in anyway, unwelcome.

There was always that chance they might have let her live. A soft knock broke through her thoughts, three light taps, a brief pause, then one more. Dewey moved immediately, crossing the room in a few long strides and opening the door without hesitation. A figure stepped inside wearing a cloak much like Chelsea's. The mask, however, was something else entirely, a porcelain doll face, smooth and pale, with a frozen expression that somehow made it even more unsettling.

When the figure turned toward her, Chelsea felt it immediately. Not just attention, something heavier. It felt like being looked through, like whatever was behind that mask hated her on sight. The figure dipped into a formal bow, never removing the cloak or mask.

"Edgar, this is the person you were sent to extract?" Bea asked, her tone suddenly far more composed.

"She was," came the reply, the same voice as the guard from the castle. Bea closed the distance instantly, practically climbing him. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and hooked one leg around his body, pressing herself tightly against him.

"I missed you, my love," she said, her voice soft with genuine tenderness. He bent down slightly, and she pressed her lips against the smooth, unsettling mask.

"This is Edgar," Dewey said from nearby, his voice steady.

"He's my…" He hesitated, and Bea glanced up at him expectantly.

"…He's our brother-in-law." Bea broke the kiss and stared at Edgar with open want. She grabbed his arm, covered by a long sleeve ending in a white-gloved hand, and without hesitation shoved it down the back of her skirt. Chelsea's cheeks warmed instantly. She couldn't look away, even though she knew she probably should. Bea began tugging at his blouse with impatient, almost frantic energy, trying to pull it free. The complete lack of shame in it left Chelsea frozen in place until a hand settled on her shoulder.

"Best not to watch this," Dewey said quietly, turning her away. She didn't resist. That was probably for the best. Dewey led her a few steps forward before letting go, moving toward a bench in front of the fireplace. He sat down and picked up the fire poker resting beside the dying embers, stirring it back to life. Chelsea followed and sat beside him, the warmth slowly returning to the room as the fire caught again. They sat in silence for a moment, the crackle of the flames filling the space.

"Do those two do that often?" Chelsea asked quietly.

"Yes," Dewey replied simply. Chelsea glanced at him, studying his expression. Was he upset? Maybe he was still mad about his nose.

"You two seem afraid of Adriane," she tried again.

"Why is that? She's been nothing but nice to me." Dewey set the poker down, watching the fire for a moment before answering.

"You will come to fear her too." There was no emotion in his voice. Just certainty. He shifted slightly.

"Are you hungry? I butchered a wolf earlier and still have the…" He paused, searching for a better word.

"…the things you like to eat. I can cook them."

"Maybe in a little bit," Chelsea said.

"And you don't have to cook them. I eat it raw." He looked down at her, his expression shifting to mild disgust as he tried to determine if she was serious. She reached up and gave his arm a small pat.

"Still a demon, big guy." Behind them, the sounds from across the room continued, distracting enough that Chelsea tried to talk over them.

"Do we have roles in the family?" she asked.

"I'll volunteer for cooking. I know how to make things that would blow your mind. They're from back home." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Her voice softened slightly at that. Her eyes stung. Amber… that was really all she had left behind. Her, and a family that had never quite known what to do with her, who had always looked at her like she was someone who...

"Back… home?" he asked, his tone uncertain. Chelsea blinked, then winced slightly as realization hit. Of course, that probably sounded like she meant wherever demons came from.

"Oh, no, yeah, that's probably confusing," she said quickly, backpedaling with an awkward laugh.

"I wasn't born a demon." She waved a hand as if brushing it off.

"I was summoned here. From my world." She softened a bit as she continued, her voice picking up a hint of something warmer.

"Food is kind of a big deal where I'm from. Like… huge. There are restaurants everywhere, every street corner, and every country has its own style, its own flavors. It's like…" She trailed off, then frowned.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Dewey's reaction was immediate and intense. His mouth had fallen open, and he was leaning away from her like she had just told him she was contagious. His eyes were wide, fixed on her like she had suddenly become something entirely different.

"Bea," he tried to say, but the word caught in his throat. He swallowed hard, then tried again, louder this time.

"Bea!" he barked, urgency breaking through whatever had stunned him. Chelsea's head snapped around, her pulse spiking.

"What!?" she blurted, instantly scanning the room like she expected guards to come pouring in. Behind them, the noises abruptly stopped.

"What is it?" Bea called, irritation threading through her voice as she stepped back into the room.

"She…" Dewey stuttered, pointing vaguely at Chelsea.

"I-is…"

"For the love of the gods, spit it out," Bea snapped.

"She's a demon, she's your sister, what did your stupid brain just figure out?"

"Summoned champion," he said. The words dropped into the room like a stone into still water. Everything stopped. The fire crackled softly, the only sound left alive in the silence, but no one moved. No one breathed. Even Bea froze. Chelsea shifted slightly under the weight of it.

"Is… that bad?" she asked, her voice smaller than she intended.

"What the fuck was Adriane thinking?" Edgar's muffled voice came from behind the mask, low and sharp.

"We have to put her back," Bea said immediately, her composure cracking in a way Chelsea hadn't seen before. The panic in her voice was real, raw and unfiltered.

"We already have the debt to deal with. We cannot have the entire kingdom crashing down on us too."

"We can't," Edgar replied, shaking his head.

"We'd have to walk her right through the front door."

"Then we say we caught her running!" Bea shot back, grasping for anything.

"No, you can't send me back!" Chelsea said, the words coming out faster than she could stop them.

"Aww, don't worry," Bea cooed, her tone flipping so abruptly it was almost dizzying, but the urgency never left her eyes.

"The people at the castle will take very good care of you."

"They're going to kill me," Chelsea whisper-yelled, her voice tight and strained.

"Like actually kill me. Sacrifice me so they can try again."

"But I don't want her to d…" Dewey started, his voice rising.

"Shut up and let the adults talk!" Bea snapped, whirling on him with sudden, vicious intensity.

"Let's just wait for Adriane before we do anything stupid," Edgar said, trying to rein things in.

"No," Bea fired back immediately.

"She's obviously insane." Chelsea blinked, then tilted her head slightly.

"I mean… you just started having sex in front of your brother and your new sister," she said, her tone dry despite everything.

"That's… kind of insane behavior." Dewey pointed at her instantly, nodding with enthusiastic agreement.

"Yeah!"

"You are not my sister," Bea said flatly, turning that intensity back onto Chelsea.

"You are the result of my sister making terrible decisions." Chelsea didn't miss a beat.

"And you're the result of your parents' terrible decisions." Both Dewey and Bea inhaled sharply at the same time. Even Edgar shifted, looking off to the side like he suddenly wanted nothing to do with the conversation. Dewey broke first.

"She's my new favorite sister," he declared, completely serious.

"I'm keeping her."

"Shut up, Dewey!" Bea snapped again, frustration boiling over.

"If we take her back now, we might still be able to talk our way out of this." A knock sounded at the door, three quick taps. Every head in the room turned toward it instantly. No one spoke. No one moved. They waited. Then came the final knock. Edgar stepped forward and opened the door. Chelsea's chest tightened, and then immediately loosened. Adriane stepped inside, and just like that, the tension snapped.

King Paul, several hours earlier"H-her last name, sir," Jess, the royal assessor stammered, her composure visibly shaken.

"It's… Wixx." She said it like she was confessing to something, like the information itself might somehow earn her punishment. The king didn't react immediately. For a brief moment, he simply stared at her, letting the weight of the name settle in the room. Then, slowly, a smile crept across his face.

"Thank you for that information," he said at last, his tone calm and measured.

"You are dismissed." Jess didn't need to be told twice. She gave a quick, almost frantic nod before turning and hurrying out of the room, the door shutting a little too quickly behind her. The moment she was gone, the atmosphere shifted. Sir Godwin let out a low breath and shook his head, a crooked, irritated smile pulling at his lips.

"How the hell did you pull this off?" he asked, half incredulous, half impressed.

"The gods must truly want this to work in our favor," King Paul replied, leaning back into the couch as if he'd just been handed a winning hand. He spread his arms across the backrest, completely at ease.

"A demon… with the last name Wixx." He let out a quiet, almost disbelieving chuckle.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think this was planned." Godwin didn't laugh.

"You realize what this means, right?" he said, his tone sharpening.

"Adriane is going to take her. There's no world where she doesn't."

"Yes," the king replied easily.

"And she should." That earned him a look.

"I have my men positioned," he continued, as if discussing something routine.

"When she makes her move, they'll respond to whatever distraction she creates. Loudly. Publicly." His fingers tapped idly against the couch.

"But they won't find her." Godwin studied him for a moment, then huffed a quiet laugh.

"You're going to let her walk out with the most important asset this kingdom has seen in decades."

"I'm going to make it look like she stole her," the king corrected.

"There's a difference." The knight commander crossed his arms, considering that.

"Where do you think they'll go?"

"Junstruce," the king said without hesitation.

"Adriane is many things, but careless isn't one of them. She'll want distance from all allied territories as quickly as possible." His eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

"It won't be easy. There are only a handful of teleportation points capable of that kind of jump, and fewer still that she can reach without drawing attention."

"They could head to Avero," Godwin offered.

"Far enough to be safe, and a much easier route."

"Too risky," the king said, shaking his head.

"They'll be traveling with a demon. They need somewhere that won't see her and attack on sight." His gaze drifted toward the door Jess had exited through.

"Junstruce tolerates… anomalies. Avero does not." Godwin gave a slow nod. That tracked. Silence settled between them for a moment before the knight finally spoke again, quieter this time.

"You really think the girl can save us?" The king didn't answer right away. The earlier confidence faded just a fraction, replaced with something more grounded, something heavier.

"She's going to have to," he said finally.

"She's all we have." Present Time The king woke to the sound of snarling echoing through the stone halls outside his chambers. It was distant, but unmistakable, low, guttural, and hungry. He sat up immediately, already knowing. It was Adriane. This was her move. Shouts followed quickly behind the noise, muffled through the thick door but growing louder by the second.

"Get more men here, now!" someone yelled.

"It's two moonbeasts, we need the knight captain!" Two. The king exhaled slowly through his nose, a hint of admiration slipping through despite himself. One moonbeast would have been enough to cause chaos. Two guaranteed it.

"She really committed to the distraction," he murmured under his breath. More voices joined the chaos outside.

"Wait, isn't Adriane Wixx in the castle!?" another guard shouted. The king closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. Idiots. Of course she was. And of course she was the one who released them. The snarls grew louder, followed by the unmistakable clash of steel and panicked orders being barked over one another. The entire wing would be in disarray within moments. Exactly as planned. He swung his legs over the side of the bed but didn't rise. There was no need.

By the time anyone thought to question what had really happened, it would already be too late. For a moment, the king simply sat there in the dim quiet of his chamber, the chaos outside pressing faintly against the walls.

"Please, Adriane," he said aloud, his voice softer now, stripped of command and calculation.

"Take care of her."